Just over half of men between the ages of 40 and 70 have some degree of erectile dysfunction (ED). For those with complete ED, tadalafil may offer a lift.
A recent study found that the drug tadalafil (Cialis) can help improve the sex lives of ED patients who currently have no success in sex.
After 12 weeks, intercourse success rates for patients taking the lower dose rose from 0 to 32 percent. Those treated with 5 mg of the drug increased their success rate to 46 percent.
The Massachusetts Male Aging Study found that 25 percent of the males in the study who had ED had moderate symptoms. One out of 10, however, experienced a complete inability to attain and maintain an erection.
Ridwan Shabsigh, MD, director of the Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and his team analyzed results on 595 males who were having no successful attempts at intercourse at the start of the study.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved tadalafil for once-daily use to treat erectile dysfunction. The drug is different from other ED medications in that it may work up to 36 hours after dosing.
While tadalafil has been shown to be effective and well tolerated, its effect on men with “complete ED” has been unclear.
The average age of patients was 58. Almost all subjects (95 percent) had ED for a year or more. About 45 percent had diabetes or hypertension.
For three months, patients were given either a daily dose of 2.5 milligrams of tadalafil, 5 milligrams of tadalafil or a placebo.
Scientists evaluated patient response to the drug by having them answering questions on the Sexual Encounter Profile.
Patients taking tadalafil versus the placebo also indicated significant improvements in intercourse satisfaction.
Dr. Shabsigh and his team wrote that patients generally had no adverse effects from the drug treatment.
The study was published online in October in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The research was sponsored Eli Lilly and Company, which manufactures Cialis.
